Aerosol delivery device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to articles (and the manufacture thereof) that use electrical energy to heat a material to form an inhalable substance, the articles being sufficiently compact to be considered “hand-held” devices. In certain embodiments, the articles can particularly be characterized as smoking articles. The smoking article can be adapted to detect the status of a cartridge portion of the smoking article. The smoking article includes a control body portion having a control body engagement end, wherein the control body portion houses a control component and a power source therein. The article further includes a cartridge body portion that has a cartridge body engagement end configured to removably engage the control body engagement end of the control body portion. The cartridge body portion houses a consumable arrangement and a heating connection operably engaged therewith comprising at least one heating element and a fusible link.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/788,455, filed Mar. 7, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety in this application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to detecting a status of a cartridge inaerosol delivery articles used for yielding tobacco components or othermaterials in an inhalable form. Specifically, a detection system iscapable of indicating whether a cartridge is used or unused.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years asimprovements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that requirecombusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have beendesigned to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, orpipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities ofincomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from theburning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numeroussmoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers that utilizeelectrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt toprovide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking withoutburning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the variousalternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heatgenerating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/432,406, filed Mar. 28, 2012, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/536,438, filed Jun. 28, 2012, U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/602,871, filed Sep. 4, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/647,000, filed Oct. 8, 2012, which are incorporated herein byreference.

Certain tobacco products that have employed electrical energy to produceheat for smoke or aerosol formation, and in particular, certain productsthat have been referred to as electronic cigarette products, have beencommercially available throughout the world. Representative productsthat resemble many of the attributes of traditional types of cigarettes,cigars or pipes have been marketed as ACCORD® by Philip MorrisIncorporated; ALPHA™, JOYE 510™ and M4™ by InnoVapor LLC; CIRRUS™ andFLING™ by White Cloud Cigarettes; COHITA™, COLIBRI™, ELITE CLASSIC™,MAGNUM™, PHANTOM™ and SENSE™ by Epuffer® International Inc.; DUOPRO™,STORM™ and VAPORKING® by Electronic Cigarettes, Inc.; EGAR™ by EgarAustralia; eGo-C™ and eGo-T™ by Joyetech; ELUSION™ by Elusion UK Ltd;EONSMOKE® by Eonsmoke LLC; GREEN SMOKE® by Green Smoke Inc. USA;GREENARETTE™ by Greenarette LLC; HALLIGAN™, HENDU™, JET™, MAXXQ™, PINK™and PITBULL™ by Smoke Stik®; HEATBAR™ by Philip Morris International,Inc.; HYDRO IMPERIAL™ and LXE™ from Crown7; LOGIC™ and THE CUBAN™ byLOGIC Technology; LUCI® by Luciano Smokes Inc.; METRO® by Nicotek, LLC;NJOY® and ONEJOY™ by Sottera, Inc.; NO. 7™ by SS Choice LLC; PREMIUMELECTRONIC CIGARETTE™ by PremiumEstore LLC; RAPP E-MYSTICK™ by RuyanAmerica, Inc.; RED DRAGON™ by Red Dragon Products, LLC; RUYAN® by RuyanGroup (Holdings) Ltd.; SMART SMOKER® by The Smart Smoking ElectronicCigarette Company Ltd.; SMOKE ASSIST® by Coastline Products LLC; SMOKINGEVERYWHERE® by Smoking Everywhere, Inc.; V2CIGS™ by VMR Products LLC;VAPOR NINE™ by VaporNine LLC; VAPOR4LIFE® by Vapor 4 Life, Inc.; VEPPO™by E-CigaretteDirect, LLC and VUSE® by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company. Yetother electrically powered aerosol delivery devices, and in particularthose devices that have been characterized as so-called electroniccigarettes, have been marketed under the tradenames BLU™; COOLERVISIONS™; DIRECT E-CIG™; DRAGONFLY™; EMIST™; EVERSMOKE™; GAMUCCI®;HYBRID FLAME™; KNIGHT STICKS™; ROYAL BLUES™; SMOKETIP® and SOUTH BEACHSMOKE™.

It would be desirable to provide a smoking article that employs heatproduced by electrical energy to provide the sensations of cigarette,cigar, or pipe smoking, that does so without combusting tobacco to anysignificant degree, that does so without the need of a combustion heatsource, and that does so without necessarily delivering considerablequantities of incomplete combustion and pyrolysis products.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The above and other needs are met by the present disclosure which, inone aspect, provides a smoking article adapted to detect the status of acartridge portion of the smoking article. The smoking article includes acontrol body portion having a control body engagement end, wherein thecontrol body portion houses a control component and a power sourcetherein. The article further comprises a cartridge body portion thatincludes a cartridge body engagement end configured to removably engagethe control body engagement end of the control body portion. In variousembodiments, cartridge body portion houses a consumable arrangement anda heating connection operably engaged therewith comprising at least oneheating element and a fusible link.

In various embodiments of the smoking article of the present disclosure,the power source is selected from the group consisting of a battery, acapacitor, and combinations thereof. In specific embodiments of thearticle, the heating element is a resistance heating element. Inspecific embodiments of the article, the fusible link is an electricalfusible link. Alternatively, the fusible link can be a mechanicalfusible link—i.e., can include a mechanical mechanism adapted forbreaking the fusible link under certain pre-determined conditions. Invarious embodiments of the smoking article, the heating element and thefusible link are electrically aligned in parallel arrangement.Furthermore, the fusible link can be adapted to fail under electricalconditions (e.g., an electrical current of defined voltage and duration)sufficient to cause heating of the heating element.

In various embodiments of the smoking article, the heating connectioncomprising a fusible link and a heating element is in electricalconnection with the power source and the control component when thecontrol body and the cartridge body are engaged with one another. Thecontrol component can comprise a microcontroller. Furthermore, thecontrol component can be configured to selectively actuate a firstelectrical current flow of a first set of conditions from the powersource to the heating connection when the control body and the cartridgebody are engaged, wherein the conditions of the first electrical currentflow are insufficient to initiate heating by the heating element. Thefirst set of conditions can comprise a voltage that is substantially thesame as a voltage that defines a working voltage for the heating elementand a current flow duration of about 45 milliseconds or less (e.g.,about 5 milliseconds to about 25 milliseconds). The working voltage canbe about 2 volts to about 6 volts.

The control component can further be configured to selectively actuate asecond electrical current flow of a second set of conditions from thepower source to the heating connection, the conditions of said secondelectrical current flow being sufficient to initiate heating by theheating element. In various embodiments of the smoking article, theconditions of the second electrical current flow can be sufficient tocause the fusible link to fail. In some embodiments of the smokingarticle of the present disclosure, the conditions of the secondelectrical current flow can comprise a voltage that is greater than thenominal voltage of the first electrical current flow. In someembodiments, the conditions of the second electrical current flow can beapproximately identical to the conditions of the first electricalcurrent flow; however, the second electrical current flow can flow for atime duration that is sufficient to exceed a current flow time at whichthe fusible link is adapted to fail.

Various embodiments of the smoking article further comprise a currentsense resistor, wherein the current sense resistor is adapted toestablish an indication of the fusible link status. The controlcomponent can be further configured to initiate a command function basedupon a cartridge status interpreted from the fusible link statusindicated by the current sense resistor. Specifically, the current senseresistor can be adapted to sense a first resistance across the fusiblelink and a second resistance across the heating element. Sensing of thefirst resistance can be indicative of an unused cartridge. Sensing ofthe second resistance in the absence of the first resistance can beindicative of a used cartridge.

Various embodiments of the cartridge body further comprise a consumablearrangement in communication with the heating element. The consumablearrangement can comprise an aerosol precursor composition. In specificembodiments, the aerosol precursor composition is selected from thegroup consisting of a polyhydric alcohol, a medicament, a tobaccocomponent, a tobacco-derived material, a flavorant, and combinationsthereof. In specific embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol is selectedfrom the group consisting of glycerin, propylene glycol, andcombinations thereof. In various embodiments, the consumable arrangementcomprises a substrate and an aerosol precursor composition, wherein theaerosol precursor composition is one of coated on, adsorbed by, andabsorbed in at least a portion of the substrate.

The present disclosure also describes methods of detecting a status of acartridge portion of a smoking article. Various embodiments of acartridge status detection method comprise providing a control bodycomprising a control component and a power source, providing a cartridgebody comprising a heating connection comprising a heating element and afusible link, and removably engaging the cartridge body with the controlbody such that the heating connection is in electrical connection withthe power source and the control component. The method further comprisesestablishment of a first electrical current flow from the power sourceto the heating connection and the control component, wherein the controlcomponent is configured to interpret the cartridge status based upon thefirst electrical current flowing through the heating connection. Similaraspects of the smoking article discussed above are provided in thecartridge status detection methods, as discussed in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Having thus described the invention in the foregoing general term's,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a smokingarticle according to the disclosure, wherein a portion of an outer shellof the article is cut away to reveal the interior components thereof;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a cartridgedetection system according to the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example embodiment of a method ofdetecting a status of a cartridge in a smoking article; and

FIG. 4 is a logic flow chart that is exemplary of a decision pathwayutilized by the control component to identify cartridge status in asmoking article.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodimentsare described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification, andin the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, includeplural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The present disclosure relates to articles (and the manufacture thereof)that use electrical energy to heat a material (preferably withoutcombusting the material to any significant degree) to form an inhalablesubstance, the articles being sufficiently compact to be considered“hand-held” devices. In certain embodiments, the articles canparticularly be characterized as smoking articles. As used herein, theterm “smoking article” is intended to mean an article that provides manyof the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types oftastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical feel, use rituals,visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol, and the like) ofsmoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe without any substantial degree ofcombustion of any component of the article. As used herein, the term“smoking article” does not necessarily mean that, in operation, thearticle produces smoke in the sense of the aerosol resulting fromby-product of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, that thearticle yields vapors (including vapors within aerosols that can beconsidered to be visible aerosols that might be considered to bedescribed as smoke-like) resulting from volitization or vaporization ofcertain components of the article or device.” In highly preferredembodiments, articles characterized as smoking articles incorporatetobacco and/or components derived from tobacco.

In further embodiments, the articles that can be manufactured accordingto the present disclosure can be characterized as being vapor-producingarticles, aerosolization articles, or medicament delivery articles.Thus, the articles can be arranged so as to provide one or moresubstances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical active ingredients) inan inhalable form or state. For example, inhalable substances can besubstantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., a substance that is in thegas phase at a temperature lower than its critical point).Alternatively, inhalable substances can be in the form of an aerosol(i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in agas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” as used herein ismeant to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form or type suitablefor human inhalation, whether or not visible, and whether or not of aform that might be considered to be smoke-like.

In use, smoking articles that can be manufactured according to thepresent disclosure may be subjected to many of the physical actions ofan individual in using a traditional type of smoking article (e.g., acigarette, cigar or pipe that is employed by lighting with a flame andused by inhaling tobacco that is subsequently burned). For example, theuser of a smoking article of the present invention can hold that articlemuch like a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of thatarticle for inhalation of aerosol produced by that article, take puffsat selected intervals of time.

A smoking article that can be manufactured according to one aspect ofthe present disclosure can include a number of components providedwithin an outer shell or body. The overall design of the outer shell orbody can vary, and the format or configuration of the outer body thatcan define the overall size and shape of the smoking article can vary.Typically, an elongated body resembling shape of a cigarette or cigarcan be a formed from a single, unitary shell; or the elongated body canbe formed of two or more separable pieces. For example, a smokingarticle can comprise an elongated shell or body that can besubstantially tubular in shape, and as such, resemble the shape of aconventional cigarette or cigar. In one embodiment, all of thecomponents of the smoking article are contained within one outer body orshell. Alternatively, a smoking article can comprise two shells that arejoined and are separable. For example, a smoking article can possess atone end a control body comprising a shell containing one or morereusable components (e.g., a rechargeable battery and variouselectronics for controlling the operation of that article), and at theother end and removably attached thereto a shell containing a disposableportion (e.g., a disposable flavor-containing cartridge). Additionally,various smoking article designs and component arrangements can beappreciated upon consideration of the commercially available electronicsmoking articles, such as those representative products listed in thebackground art section of the present disclosure.

A smoking article that can be manufactured according to one aspect ofthe present disclosure can include some combination of power source(i.e., an electrical power source), at least one control component(e.g., means for actuating, controlling, regulating and ceasing powerfor heat generation, such as by controlling electrical current flow thepower source to other components of the article), a heater or heatgeneration component (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element orcomponent commonly referred to as an “atomizer”), and an aerosolprecursor component (e.g., commonly a liquid capable of yielding anaerosol upon application of sufficient heat, such as ingredientscommonly referred to as “smoke juice,” “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and amouthend region or tip for allowing draw upon the smoking article foraerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the articlesuch that aerosol generated can be withdrawn therefrom upon draw).Alignment of the components within the article can vary. In specificembodiments, the aerosol precursor component can be located near an endof the article (e.g., with a cartridge, which in certain circumstancescan be replaceable and disposable) that is proximal to the mouth of auser so as to maximize aerosol delivery to the user. Otherconfigurations, however, are not excluded. Generally, the heatercomponent can be positioned sufficiently near that aerosol precursorcomponent so that heat from the heater component can volatilize theaerosol precursor (as well as one or more flavorants, medicaments, orthe like that may likewise be provided for delivery to a user) and froman aerosol for delivery to the user. When the heating member heats theaerosol precursor component, an aerosol is formed, released, orgenerated in a physical form suitable for inhalation by a consumer. Itshould be noted that the foregoing terms are meant to be interchangeablesuch that reference to release, releasing, releases, or releasedincludes form or generate, forming or generating, forms or generates,and formed or generated. Specifically, an inhalable substance isreleased in the form of a vapor or aerosol or mixture thereof.Additionally, the selection of various smoking article components can beappreciated upon consideration of the commercially available electronicsmoking articles, such as those representative products listed in thebackground art section of the present disclosure.

A smoking article that can be manufactured according to one aspect ofthe present disclosure can include may incorporate a battery or otherelectrical power source to provide current flow sufficient to providevarious functionalities to the article, such as resistive heating,powering of control systems, powering of indicators, and the like. Thepower source can take on various embodiments. Preferably, the powersource is able to deliver sufficient power to rapidly heat the heatingmember to provide for aerosol formation and power the article throughuse for the desired duration of time. The power source preferably issized to fit conveniently within the article so that the article can beeasily handled; and additionally, preferred a preferred power source isof a sufficiently light weight to not detract from a desirable smokingexperience.

An exemplary smoking article 10 according to the disclosure is shown inFIG. 1. As seen in the surface illustrated therein, the smoking article10 can comprise a control body 80 and a cartridge 90 that can be alignedin a functioning relationship. In this regard, the control body 80 andthe cartridge 90 may be attachable and detachable from each other.Although a threaded engagement is illustrated in FIG. 1, it isunderstood that further means of engagement are encompassed, such as apress-fit engagement, a magnetic engagement, or the like. The cartridgecan particularly include a single use connector as otherwise describedherein.

In specific embodiments, the control body 80 may be referred to as beingreusable and the cartridge 90 may be referred to as being disposable. Insome embodiments, the entire smoking article may be characterized asbeing disposable in that the control body may be configured for only alimited number of uses (e.g., until a battery power component no longerprovides sufficient power to the smoking article) with a limited numberof cartridges and, thereafter, the entire smoking article 10, includingthe control body, may be discarded. In other embodiments, the controlbody may have a replaceable battery such that the control body can bereused through a number of battery exchanges and with many cartridges.Similarly, the smoking article 10 may be rechargeable and thus may becombined with any type of recharging technology, including connection toa typical electrical outlet, connection to a car charger (i.e.,cigarette lighter receptacle), and connection to a computer, such asthrough a USB cable.

The control body 80 includes a control component 20, a flow sensor 30,and a battery 40. Although these components are illustrated in aspecific alignment, it is understood that various alignments of thecomponents are encompassed by the present disclosure. The control body80 further includes a plurality of indicators 19 at a distal end 12 ofthe control body shell 81. Such indicators 19 can show the number ofpuffs taken or remaining from the smoking article can be indicative ofan active or inactive status, can light up in response to a puff, or thelike. The indicators can be provided in varying numbers and can take ondifferent shapes and can even be simply an opening in the body (such asfor release of sound when such indicators are present).

Various positions for one or more air intakes 17 are encompassed by thepresent disclosure. As shown, the air intake 17 may be positioned in thecontrol body shell 81 such that air drawn through the intakesufficiently contacts the flow sensor 30 to activate the sensor(although other positions are encompassed, particularly if differentsensing means are provided or if manual actuation, such as with a pushbutton, is provided). A receptacle 60 also is included at the proximalattachment end 13 of the control body 80 and extends into the controlbody projection 82 to allow for ease of electrical connection with theresistive heating element 50 when the cartridge 90 is attached to thecontrol body. In the illustrated embodiment, the receptacle 60 includesa central open passage to facilitate air flow from the air intake in thecontrol body into the cartridge during use of the article 10.

The cartridge 90 includes a cartridge shell 91 with a mouth opening 18at the mouthend 11 thereof to allow passage of air and entrained vapor(i.e., the components of the aerosol precursor composition in aninhalable form) from the cartridge to a consumer during draw on thesmoking article 10. The smoking article 10 according to the presentdisclosure may have an overall shape that may be defined as beingsubstantially rod-like or substantially tubular shaped or substantiallycylindrically shaped. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the smoking article 10has a substantially round cross-section; however, other cross-sectionalshapes (e.g., oval, square, triangle, etc.) also are encompassed by thepresent disclosure. Such language that is descriptive of the physicalshape of the smoking article may also be applied to the individual unitsof the smoking article in embodiments comprising multiple units, such asa control body and a cartridge.

In preferred embodiments, the smoking article 10 may take on a size thatis comparative to a cigarette or cigar shape. Thus, the smoking articlemay have a diameter of about 5 mm to about 25 mm, about 5 mm to about 20mm, about 6 mm to about 15 mm, or about 6 mm to about 10 mm. Suchdimension may particularly correspond to the outer diameter of thecontrol body shell 81 and/or the cartridge shell 91. The control bodycan have a length of about 50 mm to about 110 mm, about 60 mm to about100 mm, or about 65 mm to about 95 mm. The cartridge can have a lengthof about 20 mm to about 60 mm, about 25 mm to about 55 mm, or about 30mm to about 50 mm. The overall length of the combined cartridge andcontrol body (or the overall length of a smoking article according tothe disclosure formed of a single, unitary shell) can be approximatelyequal to or less than the length of a typical cigarette—e.g., about 70mm to about 130 mm, about 80 mm to about 125 mm, or about 90 mm to about120 mm.

The cartridge shell 91 of the smoking article 10 can be formed of anymaterial suitable for forming and maintaining an appropriateconformation, such as a tubular shape, and for retaining therein thesuitable components of the smoking article. The body can be formed of asingle wall, as shown in FIG. 1. The cartridge shell 91 can be formed ofa material (natural or synthetic) that is heat resistant so as to retainits structural integrity—e.g., does not degrade—at least at atemperature that is the heating temperature provided by the resistiveheating element. In some embodiments, a heat resistant polymer may beused. In other embodiments, the body can be formed from paper, such as apaper that is substantially straw-shaped, or from metal, such asstainless steel. As further discussed herein, the body, such as a papertube, may have one or more layers associated therewith that function tosubstantially prevent movement of vapor therethrough. In one example, analuminum foil layer may be laminated to one surface of the body. Ceramicmaterials also may be used.

The cartridge 90 further includes a resistive heating element 50 in theform of a metal wire coil. The resistive heating element includesterminals 51 (e.g., positive and negative terminals) at the opposingends thereof for facilitating current flow through the resistive heatingelement and for attachment of the appropriate wiring (not illustrated)to form an electrical connection of the resistive heating element withthe battery 40 when the cartridge 90 is connected to the control body80. Specifically, a plug 65 is positioned at the distal attachment end14 of the cartridge. When the cartridge 90 is connected to the controlbody 80, the plug 65 engages the receptacle 60 to form an electricalconnection such that current controllably flows from the battery 40,through the receptacle and plug, and to the resistive heating element50. The cartridge shell 91 can continue across the distal attachment endsuch that this end of the cartridge is substantially closed with theplug protruding therefrom. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the plug 65includes an open central passage that aligns with the open centralpassage in the receptacle 60 to allow air to flow from the control body80 and into the cartridge 90.

Generally, in use, when a consumer draws on the mouthend 11 of thecartridge, the flow sensor 30 detects the change in flow and activatesthe control component 20 to facilitate current flow through theresistive heating element 50. Thus, it is useful for air flow to travelthrough the control body 80 in a manner that flow sensor 30 detects airflow almost instantaneously.

The control algorithm may call for power to the resistive heatingelement 50 to cycle and thus maintain a defined temperature. The controlalgorithm therefore can be programmed to automatically deactivate thesmoking article 10 and discontinue power flow through the smokingarticle after a defined time lapse without a puff by a consumer.Moreover, the smoking article can include a temperature sensor toprovide feedback to the control component. Such sensor can be, forexample, in direct contact with the resistive heating element 50.Alternative temperature sensing means likewise may be used, such asrelying upon logic control components to evaluate resistance through theresistive heating element and correlate such resistance to thetemperature of the element. In other embodiments, the flow sensor 30 maybe replaced by appropriate components to provide alternative sensingmeans, such as capacitive sensing. Still further, one or more controlbuttons can be included to allow for manual actuation by a consumer toelicit a variety of functions, such as powering the article 10 on andoff, turning on the heating element 50 to generate a vapor or aerosolfor inhalation, or the like.

When the flow sensor 30 is positioned within the control body 80, it canbe useful to have an air intake 17 on the control body. If desired, asealed flow path can be provided such that the flow sensor 30 within thecontrol body 80 is in fluid connection with the cartridge interior afterthe cartridge and the control body are engaged, such fluid connectionbeing sealed with respect to the remainder of the components within thecontrol body but opening into the cartridge 90 when attached to thecontrol body. Further, in other embodiments, the flow sensor 30 can belocated within the cartridge 90 instead of the control body 80.

A reservoir may utilize a transport element to transport an aerosolprecursor composition to an aerosolization zone. As used herein, theterm “reservoir” refers to a receptacle or chamber for holding, storing,or retaining a product such as a liquid, fluid, or aerosol. One suchexample is shown in FIG. 1. As seen therein, the cartridge 90 includes areservoir layer 201 comprising layers of nonwoven fibers formed into theshape of a tube encircling the interior of the cartridge shell 91, inthis embodiment. An aerosol precursor composition is retained in thereservoir layer 201. Liquid components, for example, can be sorptivelyretained by the reservoir layer 201. The reservoir layer 201 is in fluidconnection with a transport element 301 (a wick in this embodiment). Thetransport element 301 transports the aerosol precursor compositionstored in the reservoir layer 201 via capillary action to anaerosolization zone 400 of the cartridge 90. As illustrated, thetransport element 301 is in direct contact with the resistive heatingelement 50 that is in the form of a metal wire coil in this embodiment.

In use, when a user draws on the article 10, the resistive heatingelement 50 is activated (e.g., such as via a puff sensor), and thecomponents for the aerosol precursor composition are vaporized in theaerosolization zone 400. Drawing upon the mouthend 11 of the article 10causes ambient air to enter the air intake 17 and pass through thecentral opening in the receptacle 60 and the central opening in the plug65. In the cartridge 90, the drawn air passes through an air passage 230in an air passage tube 220 and combines with the formed vapor in theaerosolization zone 400 to form an aerosol. The aerosol is whisked awayfrom the aerosolization zone, passes through an air passage 260 in anair passage tube 250, and out the mouth opening 18 in the mouthend 11 ofthe article 10. If desired, the air passage tube 250 can be absent, andan open cavity may reside in the location for formation of aerosol asthe aerosol precursor composition is vaporized by the resistive heatingelement 50.

The smoking article 10 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 can becharacterized as a disposable article. Accordingly, it can be desirablefor the reservoir 201 in such embodiments to include a sufficient amountof aerosol precursor composition and any further inhalable materials sothat a consumer can obtain more than a single use of the smokingarticle. For example, the smoking article can include sufficientaerosolizable and/or inhalable materials such that the smoking articlecan provide a number of puffs substantially equivalent to the number ofpuffs (of about two seconds duration) available from a plurality ofconventional cigarettes—e.g., 2 or more, 5 or more, 10 or more, or 20 ormore conventional cigarettes. More particularly, a disposable, singleunit article according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 can provide about 20or more, about 50 or more, or about 100 or more puffs.

Although FIG. 1 is illustrative of a smoking article according to thepresent disclosure, the scope of the disclosure should not be viewed asbeing limited to the specific combination and/or arrangement ofcomponents illustrated therein. Rather, the present disclosure canencompass a variety of combinations of components useful in forming anelectronic smoking article. Reference is made for example to the smokingarticles disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/536,438, filedJun. 28, 2012, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/432,406, filedMar. 28, 2012, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety. Further to the above, representativeheating element and materials for use therein are described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,060,671 to Counts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,460 toSprinkel Jr., et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 5,353,813 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,850 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,656 to Das; U.S.Pat. No. 5,498,855 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,225 toHajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,262 to Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,692to Das et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

The various components of a smoking article according to the presentinvention can be chosen from components described in the art andcommercially available. Examples of batteries that can be used accordingto the disclosure are described in US Pub. App. No. 2010/0028766, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

An exemplary mechanism that can provide puff-actuation capabilityincludes a Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor, manufactured by theMicroSwitch division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill. Further examplesof demand-operated electrical switches that may be employed in a heatingcircuit according to the present disclosure are described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety. Further description of current regulating circuits andother control components, including microcontrollers, that can be usefulin the present smoking article are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901,4,947,874, and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148to McCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al.,and U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The aerosol precursor, which may also be referred to as a vaporprecursor composition, can comprise one or more different components.For example, the aerosol precursor can include a polyhydric alcohol(e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture thereof). Representativetypes of further aerosol precursor compositions are set forth in U.S.Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 toJakob et al.; PCT WO 98/57556 to Biggs et al.; and Chemical andBiological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypes that Heat Instead of BurnTobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Monograph (1988); thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Aerosol precursor compositions can include further liquid materials,such as water. For example, aerosol precursor compositions canincorporate mixtures of glycerin and water, or mixtures of propyleneglycol and water, or mixtures of propylene glycol and glycerin, ormixtures of propylene glycol, glycerin, and water. Exemplary aerosolprecursor compositions also include those types of materialsincorporated within devices available through Atlanta Imports Inc.,Acworth, Ga., USA., as an electronic cigar having the brand name E-CIG,which can be employed using associated Smoking Cartridges Type C1a, C2a,C3a, C4a, C1b, C2b, C3b and C4b; and as Ruyan Atomizing Electronic Pipeand Ruyan Atomizing Electronic Cigarette from Ruyan SBT Technology andDevelopment Co., Ltd., Beijing, China.

The aerosol precursor composition used in the disclosed smoking articlefurther can comprise one or more flavors, medicaments, or otherinhalable materials. For example, liquid nicotine can be used. Suchfurther materials can comprise one or more components of the aerosolprecursor or vapor precursor composition. Thus, the aerosol precursor orvapor precursor composition can be described as comprising an inhalablesubstance. Such inhalable substance can include flavors, medicaments,and other materials as discussed herein. Particularly, an inhalablesubstance delivered using a smoking article according to the presentinvention can comprise a tobacco component or a tobacco-derivedmaterial. Alternately, the flavor, medicament, or other inhalablematerial can be provided separate from other aerosol precursorcomponents—e.g., in a reservoir. As such, defined aliquots of theflavor, medicament, or other inhalable material may be separately orsimultaneously delivered to the resistive heating element to release theflavor, medicament, or other inhalable material into an air stream to beinhaled by a user along with the further components of the aerosolprecursor or vapor precursor composition.

A wide variety of types of flavoring agents, or materials that alter thesensory or organoleptic character or nature of the mainstream aerosol ofthe smoking article can be employed. Such flavoring agents can beprovided from sources other than tobacco, can be natural or artificialin nature, and can be employed as concentrates or flavor packages. Ofparticular interest are flavoring agents that are applied to, orincorporated within, those regions of the smoking article where aerosolis generated. Again, such agents can be supplied directly to theresistive heating element or may be provided on a substrate as alreadynoted above. Exemplary flavoring agents include vanillin, ethylvanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry, strawberry,peach and citrus flavors, including lime and lemon), maple, menthol,mint, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender,cardamom, ginger, honey, anise, sage, cinnamon, sandalwood, jasmine,cascarilla, cocoa, licorice, and flavorings and flavor packages of thetype and character traditionally used for the flavoring of cigarette,cigar, and pipe tobaccos. Syrups, such as high fructose corn syrup, alsocan be employed. Flavoring agents also can include acidic or basiccharacteristics (e.g., organic acids, such as levulinic acid, succinicacid, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid). The flavoring agents can becombined with the aerosol-generating material if desired. Exemplaryplant-derived compositions that may be used are disclosed in U.S. App.Ser. No. 12/971,746 to Dube et al. and U.S. App. Ser. No. 13/015,744 toDube et al., the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

Organic acids particularly may be incorporated into the aerosolprecursor to provide desirable alterations to the flavor, sensation, ororganoleptic properties of medicaments, such as nicotine, that may becombined with the aerosol precursor. For example, organic acids, such aslevulinic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, and pyruvic acid, may beincluded in the aerosol precursor with nicotine in amounts up to beingequimolar (based on total organic acid content) with the nicotine. Anycombination of organic acids can be used. For example, the aerosolprecursor can include about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of levulinic acid perone mole of nicotine, about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of pyruvic acid perone mole of nicotine, about 0.1 to about 0.5 moles of lactic acid perone mole of nicotine, or combinations thereof, up to a concentrationwherein the total amount of organic acid present is equimolar to thetotal amount of nicotine present in the aerosol precursor.

In embodiments of the aerosol precursor material that contain a tobaccoextract, including pharmaceutical grade nicotine derived from tobacco,it is advantageous for the tobacco extract to be characterized assubstantially free of compounds collectively known as Hoffmann analytes,including, for example, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), includingN′-nitrosonornicotine (NNN),(4-methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK),N′-nitrosoanatabine (NAT), and N′-nitrosoanabasine (NAB); polyaromatichydrocarbons (PAHs), including benz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene,benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, chrysene,dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and the like. Incertain embodiments, the aerosol precursor material can be characterizedas completely free of any Hoffmann analytes, including TSNAs and PAHs.Embodiments of the aerosol precursor material may have TSNA levels (orother Hoffmann analyte levels) in the range of less than about 5 ppm,less than about 3 ppm, less than about 1 ppm, or less than about 0.1ppm, or even below any detectable limit. Certain extraction processes ortreatment processes can be used to achieve reductions in Hoffmannanalyte concentration. For example, a tobacco extract can be broughtinto contact with an imprinted polymer or non-imprinted polymer such asdescribed, for example, in US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2007/0186940 toBhattacharyya et al; 2011/0041859 to Rees et al.; 2011/0159160 toJonsson et al; and 2012/0291793 to Byrd et al., all of which areincorporated herein by reference. Further, the tobacco extract could betreated with ion exchange materials having amine functionality, whichcan remove certain aldehydes and other compounds. See, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 4,033,361 to Horsewell et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,529 toFiglar et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

In certain embodiments, the aerosol precursor can be adapted to increasein surface area during heating for aerosol formation in an electronicsmoking article. In particular, the aerosol precursor can comprise aneffervescent material. The effervescent material can be adapted todegrade during heating and release carbon dioxide (or other gaseoussubstance) sufficient to cause foaming of at least a portion of theaerosol precursor or to produce fine droplets. Inclusion of sucheffervescent can be beneficial to reduce the amount of heat needed toform an aerosol from the aerosol precursor.

The aerosol precursor composition may take on a variety of conformationsbased upon the various amounts of materials utilized therein. Forexample, a useful aerosol precursor composition may comprise up to about98% by weight up to about 95% by weight, or up to about 90% by weight ofa polyol. This total amount can be split in any combination between twoor more different polyols. For example, one polyol can comprise about50% to about 90%, about 60% to about 90%, or about 75% to about 90% byweight of the aerosol precursor, and a second polyol can comprise about2% to about 45%, about 2% to about 25%, or about 2% to about 10% byweight of the aerosol precursor. A useful aerosol precursor also cancomprise up to about 25% by weight, about 20% by weight or about 15% byweight water—particularly about 2% to about 25%, about 5% to about 20%,or about 7% to about 15% by weight water. Flavors and the like (whichcan include medicaments, such as nicotine) can comprise up to about 10%,up to about 8%, or up to about 5% by weight of the aerosol precursor.

As a non-limiting example, an aerosol precursor according to theinvention can comprise glycerol, propylene glycol, water, nicotine, andone or more flavors. Specifically, the glycerol can be present in anamount of about 70% to about 90% by weight, about 70% to about 85% byweight, or about 75% to about 85% by weight, the propylene glycol can bepresent in an amount of about 1% to about 10% by weight, about 1% toabout 8% by weight, or about 2% to about 6% by weight, the water can bepresent in an amount of about 10% to about 20% by weight, about 10% toabout 18% by weight, or about 12% to about 16% by weight, the nicotinecan be present in an amount of about 0.1% to about 5% by weight, about0.5% to about 4% by weight, or about 1% to about 3% by weight, and theflavors can be present in an amount of up to about 5% by weight, up toabout 3% by weight, or up to about 1% by weight, all amounts being basedon the total weight of the aerosol precursor. One specific, non-limitingexample of an aerosol precursor comprises about 75% to about 80% byweight glycerol, about 13% to about 15% by weight water, about 4% toabout 6% by weight propylene glycol, about 2% to about 3% by weightnicotine, and about 0.1% to about 0.5% by weight flavors. The nicotine,for example, can be a from a tobacco extract.

The amount of aerosol precursor composition that is used within thesmoking article is such that the article exhibits acceptable sensory andorganoleptic properties, and desirable performance characteristics. Forexample, it is highly preferred that sufficient aerosol precursorcomposition components, such as glycerin and/or propylene glycol, beemployed in order to provide for the generation of a visible mainstreamaerosol that in many regards resembles the appearance of tobacco smoke.Typically, the amount of aerosol-generating material incorporated intothe smoking article is in the range of about 1.5 g or less, about 1 g orless, or about 0.5 g or less. The amount of aerosol precursorcomposition can be dependent upon factors such as the number of puffsdesired per cartridge used with the smoking article. It is desirable forthe aerosol precursor composition not to introduce significant degreesof unacceptable off-taste, filmy mouth-feel, or an overall sensoryexperience that is significantly different from that of a traditionaltype of cigarette that generates mainstream smoke by burning tobacco cutfiller. The selection of the particular aerosol-generating material andreservoir material, the amounts of those components used, and the typesof tobacco material used, can be altered in order to control the overallchemical composition of the mainstream aerosol produced by the smokingarticle.

Still further components can be utilized in the smoking article of thepresent disclosure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel,Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can be associated with themouth-end of a device to detect user lip activity associated with takinga draw and then trigger heating; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCaffertyet al. discloses a puff sensor for controlling energy flow into aheating load array in response to pressure drop through a mouthpiece;U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in asmoking device that include an identifier that detects a non-uniformityin infrared transmissivity of an inserted component and a controllerthat executes a detection routine as the component is inserted into thereceptacle; U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes adefined executable power cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S.Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al. discloses photonic-optroniccomponents; U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means foraltering draw resistance through a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No.6,803,545 to Blake et al. discloses specific battery configurations foruse in smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al.discloses various charging systems for use with smoking devices; US2009/0320863 by Fernando et al. discloses computer interfacing means forsmoking devices to facilitate charging and allow computer control of thedevice; US 2010/0163063 by Fernando et al. discloses identificationsystems for smoking devices; and WO 2010/003480 by Flick discloses afluid flow sensing system indicative of a puff in an aerosol generatingsystem; all of the foregoing disclosures being incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Further examples of components related toelectronic aerosol delivery articles and disclosing materials orcomponents that may be used in the present article include U.S. Pat. No.4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 toAdams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No.6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No.7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No.6,772,756 to Shayan; US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2009/0095311, 2006/0196518,2009/0126745, and 2009/0188490 to Hon; US Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0272379 toThorens et al.; US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2009/0260641 and 2009/0260642 toMonsees et al.; US Pat. Pub. Nos. 2008/0149118 and 2010/0024834 toOglesby et al.; US Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; and WO2010/091593 to Hon. A variety of the materials disclosed by theforegoing documents may be incorporated into the present devices invarious embodiments, and all of the foregoing disclosures areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Although an article according to the disclosure may take on a variety ofembodiments, as discussed in detail below, the use of the article by aconsumer will be similar in scope. In particular, the article can beprovided as a single unit or as a plurality of components that arecombined by the consumer for use and then are dismantled by the consumerthereafter. Generally, a smoking article according to the disclosure cancomprise a first unit that is engagable and disengagable with a secondunit, the first unit comprising the resistive heating element, and thesecond unit comprising the electrical power source. In some embodiments,the second unit further can comprise one or more control components thatactuate or regulate current flow from the electrical power source. Thefirst unit can comprise a distal end that engages the second unit and anopposing, proximate end that includes a mouthpiece (or simply themouthend) with an opening at a proximate end thereof. The first unit cancomprise an air flow path opening into the mouthpiece of the first unit,and the air flow path can provide for passage of aerosol formed from theresistive heating element into the mouthpiece. In preferred embodiments,the first unit can be disposable. Likewise, the second unit can bereusable.

During use, the consumer initiates heating of the resistive heatingelement, the heat produced by the resistive heating element aerosolizesthe aerosol precursor composition and, optionally, further inhalablesubstances. Such heating releases at least a portion of the aerosolprecursor composition in the form of an aerosol (which can include anyfurther inhalable substances included therewith), and such aerosol isprovided within a space inside the cartridge that is in fluidcommunication with the mouthend of the cartridge. When the consumerinhales on the mouth end of the cartridge, air is drawn through thecartridge, and the combination of the drawn air and the aerosol isinhaled by the consumer as the drawn materials exit the mouth end of thecartridge (and any optional mouthpiece present) into the mouth of theconsumer. To initiate heating, the consumer may actuate a pushbutton,capacitive sensor, or similar component that causes the resistiveheating element to receive electrical energy from the battery or otherenergy source (such as a capacitor). The electrical energy may besupplied for a pre-determined length of time or may be manuallycontrolled. Preferably, flow of electrical energy does not substantiallyproceed in between puffs on the article (although energy flow mayproceed to maintain a baseline temperature greater than ambienttemperature—e.g., a temperature that facilitates rapid heating to theactive heating temperature). In further embodiments, heating may beinitiated by the puffing action of the consumer through use of varioussensors, as otherwise described herein. Once the puff is discontinued,heating will stop or be reduced. When the consumer has taken asufficient number of puffs so as to have released a sufficient amount ofthe inhalable substance (e.g., an amount sufficient to equate to atypical smoking experience), the cartridge can be removed from thecontrol housing and discarded. Indication that the cartridge is spent(i.e., the aerosol precursor composition has been substantially removedby the consumer) can be provided. In some embodiments, a singlecartridge can provide more than a single smoking experience and thus mayprovide a sufficient content of aerosol precursor composition tosimulate as much as a full pack of conventional cigarettes or even more.

Smoking articles useful according to the invention can further compriseone or more components adapted to detect a cartridge status. Variousembodiments of the smoking article can include a heating connectioncomprising a heating element and a fusible link. The term “fusible link”as used herein refers to a component adapted to fail under definedconditions and thus function as a sacrificial device in a cartridgestatus detection system. The heating connection is preferably inelectrical connection with the power source of the smoking article suchthat electrical energy can be provided to the heating connection. Invarious embodiments, the heating connection is in electrical connectionwith a component adapted to measure the current flow, voltage, and/orthe resistance across the heating connection. Specific embodiments ofthe smoking article can include a control component adapted to interpretthe cartridge status based upon the measured current, voltage and/orresistance across the heating connection.

In particular embodiments, the smoking article can include componentsthat define an electrical circuit whereby a control component isconfigured to controllably deliver a low power pulse from the powersource to the heating connection according to one or more definedalgorithms. As a non-limiting example, the control algorithm can includepulse width modulation, which can be based on comparison of a batteryvoltage with a lookup table. As a further non-limiting example, thecontrol algorithm can include a constant voltage feedback loop, such asthrough utilization of heater voltage measurements. Specifically, invarious embodiments of the smoking article, appropriate wiring can beincluded such that a cartridge engaging a control body defines a closedelectrical circuit through which the control component can controllablydeliver a low power pulse (as well as a higher power pulse). The lowpower pulse can be defined as an electrical current that does not exceedthe limits of a fusible link as described herein. By contrast, thehigher power electrical current that defines a working status of theheating element (i.e., wherein the heating element heats to atemperature sufficient to vaporize the aerosol precursor material) canexceed the limits of the fusible link.

In some embodiments, a low power pulse can have a voltage, a current, orboth that is substantially similar to the same property of the higherpower pulse, and pulse power can be defined by current flow duration. Inparticular, time can be adjusted such that the average power deliveredto the circuit is constrained appropriately. In certain embodiments, thefusible link can exhibit a resistance that is lower than the resistanceof the heating element. In some embodiments, the fusible link and theheating element are provided in parallel, a majority of the currententering the closed circuit can preferentially flow through the fusiblelink. When the duration of the electrical current flow is sufficientlylong, the lower resistance fusible link will fail and thus allow all ofthe delivered current to pass through the heating element. Dependingupon the type of material from which the fusible link is formed, asufficiently long current flow time can be about 50 milliseconds orgreater or about 100 milliseconds or greater, particularly about 50 toabout 500 milliseconds. In various embodiments, the heating element canrequire that the current be applied for a time of about 0.5 seconds orgreater or about 1 second or greater, particularly about 1 second toabout 4 seconds for sufficient heating to occur. Therefore, in someembodiments, conditions defining a low power pulse can comprise avoltage, a current, or both a voltage and a current that issubstantially the same as the same corresponding voltage, current, orboth that is utilized for normal functioning of the heating element, andcan also comprise an active flow unit time of about 45 milliseconds orless or about 25 milliseconds or less, particularly about 5 millisecondsto about 25 milliseconds.

In other embodiments, the low power pulse can be defined by a currentand/or voltage that can be less than the current and/or voltage thatdefine the working status of the heating element. For example, theelectrical current that defines a working status of the heating elementcan exceed the current delivered by the low power pulse by a factor of 2or more, 5 or more, or 10 or more. A voltage that defines a workingvoltage for the heating element can be about 2 volts to about 6 volts,about 2.5 volts to about 5.5 volts, or about 3 volts to about 5 volts.The working voltage is the voltage at which the heating elementsufficiently heats to form the desired amount of aerosol during acurrent flow time as described above.

A smoking article according to the disclosure further can comprise acomponent that is adapted to measure one or more of current, voltage,and resistance across the heating connection. For example, a currentsense resistor as further described herein can be used. The controlcomponent can be adapted to interpret a status of the fusible link basedupon a value provided by the current sense resistor or like component.The control component can be adapted to allow or disallow heating of aheating element in the cartridge portion engaging a control portion ofthe smoking article based upon the value provided by the current senseresistor. The current sense resistor can be adapted to define a firstvalue when the fusible link is intact and thus is in a condition fortransmission of the low power pulse. For example, an intact fusible linkcan be defined by a first measurable resistance of a specific value orvalue range, and sensing of the first resistance of the defined value orvalue range by the current sense resistor upon initiation of the lowpower pulse can cause the current sense resistor to output the value tothe control component that is recognized thereby as defining that thecartridge is unused. A fusible link that is not intact can be defined bya second measurable resistance of a specific value or value range, andsensing of the second resistance of the defined value or value range bythe current sense resistor can cause the current sense resistor tooutput the value to the control component that is recognized thereby asdefining that the cartridge is used. The second measurable resistancecan be the resistance of the heating element, and sensing of the secondmeasurable resistance can indicate that the cartridge has been used(i.e., the heating connection has previously encountered an electricalcurrent of conditions sufficient to activate the heating element as wellas to cause the fusible link to fail).

A configuration as described above can be beneficial to preventfunctioning of the control component with a non-matched cartridge (e.g.,a cartridge that has been depleted of the aerosol precursor andre-filled and/or a cartridge manufactured by a different entity).Therefore, a control component can be adapted to initiate a command thatdoes not allow for a current flow sufficient to activate the heater tobe actuated if the control component interprets the measured resistanceas evidence of a failed fusible link and/or a cartridge that does notinclude a fusible link. Thereby a user can be prevented from using thesmoking article if the cartridge has been used prior to engagement ofthe cartridge and the control body and/or if the cartridge ismanufactured by another entity that does not provide a fusible link inthe cartridge as contemplated herein.

As described herein, in specific embodiments a fusible link (alsoreferred to as a fuse) can be defined as a component that is adapted tofail (or fuse) when an electrical current of defined sufficientconditions is actuated to flow through a circuit that includes thefusible link. For example, embodiments of the fusible link are adaptedto fail under electrical conditions sufficient to initiate heating bythe heating element. In some embodiments, the fusible link can be acomponent adapted to provide a resistance when an electrical current isapplied thereto. Preferably, the fusible link exhibits an electricalresistance that is significantly lower than the electrical resistance ofthe heating element. For example, the ratio of heater element resistanceto fusible link resistance can be 1.1 or greater, 1.25 or greater, 1.5or greater, or 2 or greater. The difference in the resistances can varybased upon the minimum measurable resolution by the current senseresistor and the conversion circuit, material properties, and workingconditions. Depending upon the resistance ratio, the unit time of thelow power pulse can be varied to ensure that the low power pulse isinsufficient to fuse the fusible link. Accordingly, the electricalconditions described herein can be adjusted to meet material demands andworking conditions within the bounds of the present disclosure.

Generally, a fusible link can comprise a metal strip or wire fuseelement which has a smaller cross-section compared to the circuitconductors (wiring, for example) connecting the rest of an electricalcircuit. A fusible link can be mounted between a pair of electricalterminals and in various embodiments, can be enclosed by anon-combustible housing. The fusible link can be adapted to meltdirectly, for example, when subjected to an electrical current ofconditions that exceed the limits of the fusible link. In otherembodiments, a soldered joint within the fusible link can be adapted tomelt when subjected to the necessary conditions. Preferably, a fuse isadapted to easily carry a specified current and melt quickly onapplication of the electrical current meeting the defined conditions.

In specific embodiments, the fusible link is an electrical fusible link.In exemplary embodiments, the electrical fusible link can be defined asa short piece of conductive wire that is at least two, at least three,or at least four American wire gauge sizes smaller than the wire of thecircuit that is being protected. In some embodiments, a fusible link canbe formed of two pieces of metal soldered together with a fusible alloythat is designed to melt at a specific temperature, thereby allowing thetwo metal pieces to separate. The term “fusible alloy” as used hereinrefers to a metal alloy capable of being easily melted at relatively lowtemperatures (e.g., a temperature that is caused by heating of thefusible link due to being subjected to an electrical current ofsufficient conditions to cause the heating element to heat to a desiredworking temperature). In further embodiments, the fusible link can be amechanical element, such as a connector pin or further mechanism, thatcan be mechanically disengaged under conditions of electrical currentflow sufficient to enable heating of the heating element.

Various sizes and styles of fusible links can be used in embodiments ofthe cartridge detection system. In some embodiments, a fusible link ismade from zinc, copper, silver, aluminum, a metal alloy, or combinationsthereof. The speed at which a fuse blows is dependent on how muchcurrent flows through it and the material from which the fuse is made.Fuse bodies (or housing) can be made of ceramic, glass, plastic,fiberglass, molded mica laminates, molded compressed fiber, or othernon-conductive materials known in the art. A fusible link usefulaccording to the present disclosure can be defined by specific shapes,sizes, materials, or the like that can provide for desired properties.

In various embodiments, the heating connection is in electricalconnection with a component adapted to measure the flow of electricalcurrent across the heating connection. Current can be converted to avoltage reading, which may then be compared with a threshold, digitized,or otherwise processed by a current sense circuit. As a non-limitingexample, a circuit can employ a current transformer, a hall-effectsensor, or a magnetoresistive sensor to convert current to a voltagereading. In various embodiments, a current sense resistor is used due toits simplicity and relatively low cost. Such resistors typically havelow resistance values, typically less than 50 milliohms (0.050 ohms),for example. A current sensing resistor can be designed for lowresistance so as to minimize power consumption. A calibrated resistancecan be utilized to sense the current flowing through the current senseresistor in the form of a voltage drop which is detected and monitoredby control circuitry. The voltage across the current sensing resistorthen can be amplified and converted to a current value as desired. Inspecific embodiments, for example, a current sense resistor operating inconnection with a control component can be used to measure currentacross the heating connection. As electrical current flows from thepower source to the heating connection a current sense resistor cancontinuously receive and monitor the amount of current that is comingfrom both the power source and the heating connection. The heatingconnection can comprise a fusible link and a heating element which areelectrically connected in parallel arrangement. As such, the totalresistance of the fusible link and the heating element can be determinedand evaluated by the control component to determine whether the fusiblelink remains intact.

An exemplary embodiment of a smoking article 10 is shown in FIG. 2 andcan comprise a cartridge body 90 and a control body 80. In theillustrated embodiment, the control body 80 comprises a power source 40(e.g., a battery), a control component 20, and a current sense resistor170. Although FIG. 2 shows the current sense resistor 170 as beinglocated in the control body 80, alternative embodiments have a currentsense resistor 170 located in the cartridge body 90. The exact locationof the current sense resistor 170 is not limiting to the presentinvention. Appropriate electrical wiring interconnects the battery 40,control component 20, and current sense resistor 170. The electricalconnection between the power source 40 and the control component 20allows for the control component to be configured to selectively actuatecurrent flow from the electrical power source to other components of thesmoking article. The cartridge 90 comprises a heating connection 165which comprises a heating element 50 and a fusible link 160. The fusiblelink 160 is electrically aligned in parallel arrangement with theheating element 50. When the control body 80 and the cartridge 90 areengaged with one another, a closed circuit is formed such that theheating connection 165 is in electrical connection with the power source40, the control component 20 and the current sense resistor 170. Theengaged cartridge and control body is operative as otherwise describedherein, and the individual components of the smoking article can bedefined as otherwise described herein.

In use, a fusible link in a smoking article can be adapted to work inconnection with a control component and, optionally, a current senseresistor (or similar component) to detect the status of a cartridge.More particularly, the status that is detectable is whether thecartridge is new (i.e., not previously used) or whether the cartridgehas been previously activated such that heating of the heating elementhas occurred. The control component of the smoking article can processthe cartridge status and thus determine whether use of the cartridge isauthorized. An authenticated cartridge can be used normally with theengaged control body for aerosol formation. The control component can beadapted to temporarily disable the control body when engaging anon-authorized cartridge but allow normal usage to resume uponengagement with an authenticated cartridge.

An example of a method of detecting a status of a cartridge according tocertain embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 3.As seen therein, such method can comprise providing a control body atoperation 400, the control body comprising a control component, a powersource, and an optional current sense resistor, and providing acartridge at operation 405, the cartridge comprising a heatingconnection which comprises a heating element, a fusible link, and anoptional current sense resistor. It is understood that the current senseresistor is present in one of the control body and the cartridge. Thecurrent sense resistor is adapted to identify an indication of fusiblelink status. Specifically, the current sense resistor is adapted tosense a first resistance across the fusible link and a second resistanceacross the heating element and then relay such information to thecontrol component.

Next, the detection method includes, at operation 410, removablyengaging the cartridge with the control body so as to establish a closedcircuit including the power source, the control component, the heatingconnection, and the current sense resistor. The method further includes,at operation 415, actuation by the control component of a low powerpulse through the closed circuit. In specific embodiments, this lowpower pulse is defined by electrical conditions (e.g., voltage and unittime) that are insufficient to initiate heating by the heating elementand also are insufficient to fuse the fusible link. For instance, theinsufficient electrical conditions can comprise a working voltageapplied for a sufficiently short unit time as described herein. In areturn leg of the closed circuit, the low power pulse of electricalcurrent flows through the current sense resistor. The detection methodthen comprises, at operation 420, measuring by the current senseresistor of the electrical current flowing from the heating connection.At operation 425, the method comprises processing the measurements fromthe current sense resistor through a logic flow wherein use of thecartridge is allowed or disallowed based upon the status of the fusiblelink. For example, a microcontroller can be adapted to interpret theresistance across the heating connection during the low power pulse soas to determine whether the fuse is intact based on the measuredresistance. Sensing of a first resistance can be indicative of an intactfusible link. Sensing of a second resistance can be indicative of afusible link that is already fused. The recognition of an intact fusiblelink in a cartridge identifies the cartridge as being an unusedcartridge. Optionally, the method as illustrated in FIG. 3 can comprise,at operation 430, initiating a command to authorize functioning of thecontrol body with the engaged cartridge or to temporarily disable thecontrol body until a different cartridge is engaged. An authorizationcommand enables flow of sufficient electrical current to heat theheating element and thus form an aerosol.

Flow of sufficient electrical current to heat the heating element isalso sufficient to cause the fusible link to fail. Subsequent samples ofthe failed fuse utilizing a low power pulse as described herein will bemeasured and processed so as to indicate a used cartridge.

Illustrated in FIG. 4 is a logic flow chart that is exemplary of adecision pathway 500 utilized by a control component to identifycartridge status. At step A, a cartridge body portion and a control bodyportion can be removably engaged to establish a closed circuit includinga power source, a control component, a heating connection, and a currentsense resistor. Upon engagement, the control component can initiate alow power pulse across the closed circuit at operation 510. At operation520, the control component can receive the result of the detectedcartridge status. After receiving the result, the control component caninitiate one of two or more commands. For example, if the fusible linkis intact (i.e., the cartridge is unused), the control component canauthorize normal use of the cartridge at operation 530. If the fusiblelink has failed or is absent (i.e., the cartridge has been used), thecontrol component can temporarily disable the control body at operation540. At step B, the cartridge body portion and the control body portionare disengaged from one another, such as following full, normal use of acartridge per pathway operation 530 or following temporary disabling ofthe control body per pathway 540. Following disengagement, at operation550 the detection routine is reset. The cartridge body portion is thenin condition to be engaged with a cartridge and the logic flow routinecan be carried out again. Therefore, any new cartridge body portionengaged with the control body portion will cause the control componentto run the subroutine again at point A. As seen above, in variousembodiments, the control component is configured to reset when acartridge is disengaged from the control body and the electrical circuitis interrupted. This allows for the control body to be reused with newcartridges that have been authorized for use according to the methodsteps described above.

In some embodiments, a similar logic flow can be utilized for samplingof the cartridge by the control body between each puff on the device.For example, after the cartridge has been authenticated, the low powerpulse can be initiated between puffs on the device to conform theworking condition of the heater element. The reset of the detectionroutine at operation 550 after disengagement of the cartridge can stillapply in such embodiments.

Although the various figures described herein illustrate the controlbody and the cartridge in a working relationship, it is understood thatthe control body and the cartridge can exist as individual devices.Accordingly, any discussion otherwise provided herein in relation to thecomponents in combination also should be understood as applying to thecontrol body and the cartridge as individual and separate components.

In another aspect, the invention can be directed to kits that provide avariety of components as described herein. For example, a kit cancomprise a control body with one or more cartridges. A kit further cancomprise a control body with one or more charging components. A kitfurther can comprise a control body with one or more batteries. A kitfurther may comprise a control body with one or more cartridges and oneor more charging components and/or one or more batteries. In furtherembodiments, a kit may comprise a plurality of cartridges. A kit furthermay comprise a plurality of cartridges and one or more batteries and/orone or more charging components. The inventive kits further can includea case (or other packaging, carrying, or storage component) thataccommodates one or more of the further kit components. The case can bea reusable hard or soft container. Further, the case can be simply a boxor other packaging structure.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosedherein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims. Although specificterms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A smoking article comprising: a controlbody comprising an outer shell having a distal end and a proximal endand housing a power source, a control component, and at least oneindicator is configured to output a status of the power source, the atleast one indicator being provided between the distal end and theproximal end; and a cartridge body configured to removeably engage thecontrol body at the proximal end of the outer shell, the cartridge bodycomprising: a reservoir configured to store an aerosol precursorcomposition, a heating connection comprising a heating element definingan aerosolization zone, the heating element being configured to heat theaerosol precursor composition in the aerosolization zone and form anaerosol in response to power received from the power source, a transportelement configured to transport the aerosol precursor composition fromthe reservoir to the aerosolization zone, and an air passage tubeextending from the aerosolization zone to an opening defined in a mouthend of the cartridge body, the air passage tube being configured to passambient air combined with the aerosol to the opening in the mouth endupon suction applied to the mouth end, wherein the control component isconfigured to control the power transmitted by the power source to theheating element; and wherein the control component is further configuredto: output a first electrical current flow comprising a first set ofconditions in response to detecting engagement of the control body withthe cartridge body, the first electrical current flow configured toenable a command for authorization of the cartridge body; and output asecond electrical current flow comprising a second set of conditions inresponse to detecting the suction applied to the opening in the mouthend of the smoking article, the second electrical current flowconfigured to result in heating the heating element to a temperaturesufficient to heat the aerosol precursor composition to form theaerosol.
 2. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the at least oneindicator comprises an indicator light, such that the at least oneindicator is configured to output the status of the power source byillumination of the indicator light.
 3. The smoking article of claim 2,wherein illumination of the indicator light comprises illumination ofthe indicator light in one of a plurality of available colors selectedbased on the status of the power source.
 4. The smoking article of claim1, wherein the control component is configured to permit uninterruptedpower transmission to the heating element for up to a defined periodduring application of suction to the mouth end of the smoking article.5. The smoking article of claim 4, wherein the control component isconfigured to cut off transmission of power from the power source inresponse to a predefined condition of the power source.
 6. The smokingarticle of claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises a resistiveheating element.
 7. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the airpassage tube extending from the aerosolization zone includes an openingadjacent to the aerosolization zone adapted for exit of the ambient aircombined with the aerosol from the aerosolization zone.
 8. The smokingarticle of claim 1, wherein the power source is rechargeable via a USBconnection.
 9. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the cartridgebody includes an air intake.
 10. The smoking article of claim 1, whereinthe control component is configured to determine that a defined timelapse has occurred since cessation of the suction applied to the mouthend of the smoking article and, in response, to deactivate a function ofthe smoking article.
 11. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein thecontrol component is configured to: determine suction applied to theopening in the mouth end of the smoking article; provide power from thepower source to the heating element in response to the suction appliedto the opening in the mouth end of the smoking article; determinecessation of the suction applied to the opening in the mouth end of thesmoking article and, in response to the cessation of the suction appliedto the opening in the mouth end of the smoking article, discontinueprovision of power to the heating element; and determine that a definedtime lapse has occurred since cessation of the suction applied to theopening in the mouth end of the smoking article and deactivate afunction of the smoking article.
 12. The smoking article of claim 1,wherein the control component is configured to: determine engagement ofthe control body with the cartridge body; and perform a function inresponse to engagement of the control body with the cartridge body. 13.The smoking article of claim 12, wherein the control component isconfigured to determine a property of the cartridge body in response toengagement of the control body with the cartridge body.
 14. The smokingarticle of claim 12, wherein the control component is configured tocause illumination of the at least one indicator to output the status ofthe power source in response to engagement of the control body with thecartridge body.
 15. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the aerosolprecursor composition comprises a polyhydric alcohol, nicotine, aflavorant, and an acid.
 16. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein thecontrol body has a substantially quadrilateral-shaped cross-section. 17.The smoking article of claim 1, wherein the control body is configuredto removeably engage the cartridge body by press-fit engagement ormagnetic engagement.
 18. The smoking article of claim 1, wherein thepower source is selected from the group consisting of a battery, acapacitor, and combinations thereof.
 19. The smoking article of claim 1,wherein the control component is further configured to perform thecommand in response to detecting the engagement of the control body withthe cartridge body, the command comprising detection of a resistanceassociated with the cartridge body, wherein the control component isconfigured to determine whether the cartridge body is authorized for usewith the control body based on at least in part the resistanceassociated with the cartridge body.
 20. The smoking article of claim 19,wherein the control component is configured to determine that thecartridge body is authorized for use with the control body only in aninstance in which the resistance associated with the cartridge body isdetermined to be within a defined range of resistances.
 21. The smokingarticle of claim 20, wherein the control component is configured topermit power transmission to the heating element during application ofsuction to the mouth end of the smoking article only in an instance inwhich it is determined that the cartridge body is authorized for usewith the control body.
 22. A kit comprising packaging containing atleast: a control body according to claim 1; at least one cartridge bodyaccording to claim 1; and a charging component configured to engage thecontrol body.